Malaysia Airlines (MAB) has unveiled a new generation flat bed business class product, which will be introduced on the airline's A330-300 in April 2016.
The fitting process will be quick, with the Oneworld member announcing that all 15 A330-300s are due to offer the new configuration just four months later in September 2016. Routes that will offer the new product include Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne and Sydney, and Shanghai, among others.
According to MAB, the new business class seat will offer a 43-inch pitch, width of 20.6 inches and length of 76 inches. Unlike the existing product, which features a 2-2-2 configuration, the new seats will be arranged in a 1-2-1 and 1-2-2 layout, ensuring that 90 per cent of seats have direct aisle access.
The more relaxed seat layout in MAB’s A330 business class cabin allows space for just 27 seats, down from the existing 36. Each seat will also come with a 16-inch Panasonic touchscreen inflight entertainment system, as well as extra stowage space for personal items. It will also feature a power outlet, USB port and reading light.
"We are very excited to be introducing this latest product from MAB. All of our A330 business class seats will now feature fully flat beds allowing our guests the ultimate in comfort and versatility,” said the airline’s chief executive Christoph Mueller.
“This product will make us more competitive against other full-service carriers and is part of the airline’s push to be more customer centric, offering new, personalized and innovative products.”
The new cabin product was first announced back in June (see here), when Mueller discussed moves that MAB (previously MAS) would take in order to restructure its business.
Part of this plan was to introduce a flat bed business class seat on the A330, which currently features an angled flat product. The Oneworld member does offer flat bed seats on the A380 but has suffered from poor loads and is looking to sell two of its superjumbos, which Mueller said were “surplus to requirements”.
The only remaining long-haul aircraft in MAB’s fleet is the B777-200ER, but these are likely to be progressively replaced by the A350-900, which is due for delivery in Q4 2017. This means that the Boeing aircraft will not be fitted with the new business class product.
For more information, visit malaysiaairlines.com
Clement Huang
